Method for making a decorative napped needled fabric



A. M. SMITH ll June 29, 1965 METHOD FOR MAKING A DECORATIVE NAPPED NEEDLED FABRIC Original Filed March 13, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR v 415/9/1275? @JJWWZ W "MW fiwb w ATTORNEYS June 29, 1965 A. M. SMITH 11 3,191,257

METHOD FOR MAKING A DECORATIVE NAPPED NEEDLED FABRIC Original Filed March 13, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WQAWMM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,191,257 METHOD FOR MAKING A DECORATIVE NAPPED NEEDLED FABRIC Alexander M. Smith II, Elicin, N.C., assignor, by mcsne assignments, to The Fiberwoven Corporation, Elkin, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Original application Mar. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 95,232, now Patent No. 3,117,905, dated Jan. 14, 19nd. Divided and this application Feb. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 268,169

Claims. (Cl. 28-722) This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 95,232, filed March 13, 1961, and now US. Patent 3,117,905, and is entitled to the filing date thereof.

The present invention relates to an improved method of making a colored or decorative non-woven fabric material and the improved article resulting from the accomplishment of such method. More particularly, the invention contemplates an improved method of making a needled fabric having a decorative color or decorative colored design, the fabric being of the type wherein loosely matted fibers are interlaced and/ or interlooped so that the fibers are oriented into a cohcring relationship.

Non-woven fabric structures derive their coherence and strength from interfiber entanglement and accompanying frictional forces. Such non-woven fabric structures have been produced from wool and wool like fibers by various mechanical Working processes involving rufiing, squeezing, rolling under appropriate conditions of humidity and temperature. The advent of synthetic fibers in recent years has resulted in increased use of a needle punching process to produce a non-woven fabric having more positive interfiber entanglement. Such needle punching processes have also been used to produce a non-woven fabric from natural fibers as well as synthetic fibers or a blend of natural and synthetic fibers.

In my copending applications, Serial No. 29,115, filed May 13, 1960, and now United States Patent No. 3,090,099, issued May 21, 1963, and Serial No. 31,910, filed May 26, 1960, and now United States Patent No. 3,090,100, issued May 21, 1963, both entitled Needle Punch Machine and Method, there is disclosed improved processes and apparatus for producing a needled fabric. The aforesaid applications are incorporated by reference as a part of the present application to the extent of the disclosure of the needle punching process and apparatus for accomplishing the same.

Prior to the present invention, numerous efforts have been made to produce a decoration or design on needled fabrics. In some instances the needled fabric was subjected to a subsequent printing or dyeing operation wherein a design was printed on the surface pile of the fabric structure. Wear on the surface of the fabric structure tended to remove the decoration or design as some of the fibers on the surface of the fabric were lost from such wear.

Another prior method of providing a decoration in a needled fabric utilized pre-dyed fibers of different colors which were arranged by suitable templet prior to the needle punching operation. This method proved not only costly to accomplish, but unsatisfactory from the standpoint of wear on the surface of the fabric as well as from the limited application of designs or decorations. In other words, to change from one design to another design and from one color scheme to another color scheme required a substantial change in the mode of operation as different templets were required and different colored pre-dyed fibers were needed.

Another prior method of providing a decorative needled fabric contemplated use of different colored pre-dyed fibers fed onto a foundation web and rearranged by an 3,ll,257 Patented June 29, 1965 oscillating apparatus prior to needling to provide a hitand-rniss or mottling design. Such method did not lend itself to the commercial production of a fabric structure having a known design or pattern necessary for the mass production of fabrics for use in the manufacture of clothing, blankets or other similar products. Also, the design accomplished by the heretofore described method was produced by the mottling effect of the different colored surface fibers and consequently wear on the surface impaired the usefulness of the design.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of making a decorative needled fabric wherein the base color or colored design is so arranged in the structure that it will remain substantially throughout the useful life of the fabric.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel decorative needled fabric structure wherein the color or colored design is so formed in the structure that it appears to have substantial depth.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making and an article made from such method wherein a uniform solid color or a colored design is provided in a needled fabric, the method being such as to have far reaching possibilities for providing variations in uniform solid base colors or colored designs.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a decorative needled fabric, the method providing for the faster production of the finished article with a more uniform characteristic with respect to decorative design.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making a decorative needled fabric, the decorative design being such as not to be affected by subsequent processing operations after the needling of the fabric.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive method of making decorative needled fabric, the method being such that the decorative design produced has depth.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a decorative needled fabric wherein the loosely matted fibers which are intermingled into interlooping and/or interlacing relationship may be of substantially the same col-or, a design of different colors being provided on a foundation web or the like positioned in the interior of the fabric.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing a solid base color or a colored design non-woven fabric, the solid base color or colored design being on the foundation web of the fabric and applied thereto prior or after the needling operation whereby the finished fabric structure has a shadowy or frosty effect with an appearance of depth.

Ancillary to the preceding object, it is a further object of the present invention to provide color or colors to the foundation web by dyeing the foundation web before or after the needling operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully in the following detailed specification, claims and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a piece of decorative needled fabric made according to the present invention, the fabric being pulled apart at a corner to show the foundation web or scrim;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a piece of decorative needled fabric made according to the present invention and illustrating a design appearing through the outer pile of the fabric structure;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional View through a piece of decorative needled fabric illustrating the fabric structure of layers oriented fibers in cohering relationship With each other, some of the fibers extending through the scrim or foundation web from either side; FIGURE 4 illustrates schematically'a modified means of accomplishing the method of the present invention by printing a design onto a foundation web, the foundation web then being positioned between layers of loosely matted V fibers prior to the needling process; 1

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged schematic plan view illustrating a printing roll, printing a design on the foundation web prior to its being interposed between layers of loosely matted fibers.

. Referring now to the drawings wherein like characters and reference numerals represent like or similar parts, the decorative needled fa'bric disclosed inFIGURES l to 3 includes an upper layer of loosely matted fibers and a lower layer 12 of loosely matted fibers needled through a foundation web or scrim 14 so that the loosely matter fibers of the layers are interlaced and/or interlooped to provide for orientation of the fibers into a cohering relationship with each other. Such a method and apparatus for producing the needled fabric is disclosed in my aforementioned applications, Serial No. 29,115,

filed May 13, 1960, now U. S. Patent 3,090,099 and Serial No 31,910 filed May 26, 1960, now US. Patent 3,090,100. The detailed description of the needling operation will not be given herein as it may be found in the aforemen- \tioned applications, but it will suffice to saytthe needling operation contemplates needling the layers 10 and 12 with the scrim 14 therebetween in sandwich relationship, the needling occurring from both sides of the sandwich structure so as to produce the completed web of non-Woven fabric, 7

i The individual fibers which make up the layers 10 and 12 may be substantially of the same color. However, referring to FIGURE Z it will be noted that a design is provided in the finished fabric structure. The finished fabric, structure, as shown in FIGURE 2 and 3, has its surfaces napped as indicated. at 13. Suchdecorative de-' sign is accomplished by providing the scrim or foundation web .14 with the decorative design prior to its being interposed between the layers 10 and 12 l and prior to the needling operation. It is also within the scope of present invention, as will be explained in more detail later in the specification, to dye the foundation web after the needling operation. The foundation web or scrim 1-4 as shown in FIGURE 1 is provided with different color warps 18 and different color wefts 20. The scrim 14 may be of a coarse Leno type weave, the twisted or spun yarn making up the warps and wefts of the scrim being so Woven as to produce a design, in this case, a plaid. -Scrim 14 may also be made from yarn knitted by the R aschel or other warp knitting method.

On the other hand, the scrim 14 may be made from different colored strands of unspun roving or twisted yarn being so arranged to provide a decorative pattern.

While the threads which make up the scrim 14 may be p and a pressure back-up roll 26. The printing roll 24 is pro-dyed different colorspriort o making of the scrim, it

sandwiched therebetween and the needling process is accomplished, the design on the scrim shows through the outer pile of 'fibers of the layers 10 and 12. Such design has an appearance of depth since it is, in fact, Within the body of the needled fabric. Since the decorative design is on the scrim rather than on the fibers of the layers 10 and 12 which are needled together, subsequent treatment of the fabric after the needling process such as napping or 7 4 p the like does not affect the design as the design is not disturbed .by picking the surface fibers of the layers.

The fibers which make up the layers-10 and 12 may be white or pastel colors whendark colored yarn or rovings are used for providing the appropriate decorative design on the "scrim ora darker colored fiber may be used in the layers when the colored designof'the scrim-is light. In

either instance, the contrast in colors gives a shadowy effect and depth to the decorative design of the finished article, On the other hand, the scrim or foundation web maybe a solid base color darker than the color of the fibers of layers 10 and 12, such asan arrangement providing a finished decorative fabric having an unusual solid color appearance withdepth to the fabric'being accentuated by the blending of the uniform solid color of outer layers with the contrasting uniform solid base color of the foundation web.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, a schematic representati-onof utilizing the method of the present invention to provide the novel decorative needled fabric is illustrated. A roll or foundation webbing or scrim 22 is shown at the left of FIGURE 4 feeding therefrom to a printing roll 24 provided with suitable indicia or design and receives colored inks or dye from a supply roll.27 and an ink or dye reservoir 30. Any. suitable design may be provided on the roll 24 and if superimposed designs are to be utilized, more than one such roll 24 may be .provided. After the design is printed on the scrim 23. feeding from the supply roll 22, the scrim is sandwiched between two layers 32 and 34 of loosely matted substantially uniformly colored fibers. The sandwich structure, passes between guide plates 36 and 38to a suitable needling mechanism 40 which is adapted to needle the fibers in the layers 32 and 34 to orient thefibers into cohering relationship with each other, The finished web 42 is shown at the right hand portion of FIGURE 4. 7

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged schematic plan view of the process shown in FIGURE 4. In FIGURE 5, it will be noted that the printing roll 2'4is provided with a suitable design 25 thereon which is imprinted onto the scrirn'23 as indicated at 27. After the scrim 23 has been sandwiched'between the layers of fibers 32 and 34, it w'll be noted that the decorative design 27 is visible through the fibers.

It is well-known in the treatment of both natural fibers and synthetic fibers that different fibers have affinity for different dyestuffs. For example, wool typically has an affinity for acid dyestuffs whereas cotton by contrast typically has an affinity for direct dyestuffs. Likewise, the different synthetic fibers have affinity for one type of dyestuff more than another type of dyestuff. Byv utilizing the known dye affinities of the fibers which make up the yarns and rovings of the foundationweb. or scrim 14, the method and article of the present invention may be accomplished by a dyeing operation either prior to or subsequent to the needling operation. 1

If it is desired to produce a non-woven fabric having a solid color with the unusual characteristics heretofore described, the scrimorfoundation web 14 is made from rovings or yarns having fibers that have similar or same dye affinities, The fibers of the layers 10 and 12 would in this case have less orno aflinity for the dyestuffs which are used to dye the foundationweb. 0n the other hand, the fibers of the layers 10 and 12 wouldhave an afiinity for dyestuffs which the fibers of the foundation web have little or. no afiinity. After a needling operation, as heretofore described, for orienting the loosely matted fibers into cohering relationshipwith eachother and with the foundation web, the resulting needled fabric could then be dyedin one or two or more dyeingoperations so that the darker-orbase colors Would dye the foundation web and the lighter or pastel colors woulddye the outer layers 10 .and .12. The resulting non-woven fabric structure would be one wherein the base colors of the foundation web blending with the lighter colors of the layers and !12 would give a shadowy, frosted appearance and accentuate the depth or thickness of the fabric.

By utilizing yarns or rovings having different dye aflinities to make up the scrim or foundation web, the ya-rns or rovings being so arranged in the construction to provide a desired pattern, the uncolored foundation web could be fed between webs of loosely matted fibers, the webs being subjected to the needle operation as heretofore described to pnoduce the non-woven fabric. By subsequently subjecting the non-woven fabric to various dyes which would have afiinity for the various fibers of the foundation web, the colored design could be accomplished in the foundation web even after needling.

While the objects and advantages of the method and structure produced by the method of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished, it will be understood that the improved method and fabric structure is subject to some changes and modifications without departing from the principles and the scope of the invention involved, Therefore, the terminology used in the specification is for the purpose of description and not limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

'1. A process for making a decorative napped needled fabric comprising the steps of: providing a decorative pattern on a foundation web; positioning the foundation web substantially midway between webs of loosely matted fibers; and needling the fibers of each web of loosely matted fibers into a cohering entanglement with each other and through the foundation web positioned therebetween and into cohering entanglement with the fibers in the other web and thereafter napping the needled fabric whereby the decorative pattern of the foundation web is visible through the entangled fibers after needling and napping.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the decorative pattern on the foundation web is provided by weaving the foundation web from yarn having contrasting colors.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the decorative pattern on the foundation web is provided by printing a decoration on the foundation web prior to positioning of the foundation web between the webs of loosely matted fibers.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the decorative pattern is provided on the foundation web by arranging different colored strands of unspun roving into the desired decorative pattern.

5. A process for making a colored napped needled fabric comprising the steps of utilizing a foundation web composed of fibers having a dye affinity for a desired dark color; dyeing the fibers of the foundation web to the desired dark colors, positioning the foundation web between webs of loosely matted fibers having a dye aflinity for colors lighter than the color of the fonudation web; and needling the fibers of each web of loosely matted fibers into cohering entanglements with each other and through the foundation web positioned therebetween and into cohering entanglement with the fibers in the other web and thereafter napping said needled fabric whereby the color of the foundation web and the color of the loosely matted fibers of the outer web blend together and provide a napped needled fabric with a color accentuating depth.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the dyeing of the foundation web is accomplished prior to needling.

7. The process of claim 5 wherein the dyeing of the foundation web is accomplished after needling.

8. A process for making a decorative napped needled fabric comprising the steps of: providing a foundation web composed of fibers having one dye affinity and other fibers of a different dye aifinity, with the fibers being arranged in a desired pattern; dyeing the foundation web; positioning the foundation web between webs of loosely matted fibers having a still different dye affinity to that of the dye affinities of the fibers of the foundation web; and needling the fibers of each web of loosely matted fibers into cohering entanglement with each other and through the foundation web positioned therebetween and into cohering entanglement with the fibers in the other web and thereafter napping the needled fabric.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the dyeing of the foundation web is accomplished prior to needling.

10. The process of claim 8 wherein the dyeing of the foundation web is accomplished after needling.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,087,064 7/37 McMillian 2872.2 2,115,581 4/38 Johnson 28--72.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 17,3 22 4/ 34 Australia.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner. 

1. A PROCESS FOR MAKING A DECORATIVE NAPPED NEEDLED FABRIC COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: PROVIDING A DECORATIVE PATTERN ON A FOUNDATION WEB; POSITIONING THE FOUNDATION WEB SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY BETWEEN WEBS OF LOOSELY MATTED FIBERS; AND NEEDLING THE FIBERS OF EACH WEB OF LOOSELY MATTED FIBERS INTO A COHERING ENTANGLEMENT WITH EACH OTHER AND THROUGH THE FOUNDATION WEB POSITIONED THEREBETWEEN AND INTO COHERING ENTANGLEMENT WITH THE FIBERS IN THE OTHER WEB AND THEREAFTER NAPPING THE NEEDLE FABRIC WHEREBY THE DECORATIVE PATTERN OF THE FOUNDATION WEB IS VISIBLE THROUGH THE ENTANGLED FIBERS AFTER NEEDLING AND NAPPING. 